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Signature Diamonds vs Brian Gavin Signature Round Diamonds

Apr 17

From what I’ve read, it seems like Signature Hearts and Arrows diamonds are cut the best and produce the most light return and sparkle. I’m trying to determine which Signature diamond dealer I should purchase from, is there a reason why I should buy from Brian Gavin instead of one of the other dealers? The diamond which interests me most on your site is this 1.706 carat, G-color, VS-1 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature round. However I’m also looking at another Signature diamond which is one color grade better, but graded by the GIA. Thanks for your help! David C.

Differences in Signature Brand Diamonds:

The first thing that I need to clarify is that Brian Gavin Signature diamonds are only available from Brian Gavin; our production is not available anywhere else. In my opinion, the only thing in common which Brian Gavin Signature diamonds have in common with the other “Signature Diamonds” that I’ve evaluated is the word “signature” in the brand name, and the shape.

I don’t want to reference specific details of the other signature diamond which you inquired about from the other dealer, but I do want to point out the basic differences between the two brands of Signature Diamonds, beginning with the details provided on the diamond grading reports. Brian Gavin Signature Diamonds are submitted to the American Gem Society Laboratory (AGSL) for grading because it is recognized worldwide as being the industry leader for diamond cut quality grading and research. Only the AGSL uses Angular Spectrum Evaluation Technology (ASET) to evaluate the diamonds which they grade for brightness, contrast, light performance, and other factors of visual performance. The results of the ASET scan appear in middle of the Diamond Quality Document (DQD) as a multi-colored representation of the top view of the diamond.

As you can plainly see, the majority of the diamond is covered with an even distribution of red, this represents the brightest light being reflected by the diamond, and there is an even distribution of green, which represents the second brightest light being reflected by the diamond, and the blue arrows pattern indicates that the diamond exhibits a high level of contrast, which again is evenly distributed across the pavilion main facets, indicating not only that the diamond is going to be extremely bright, but also that it has exceptional contrast.

Contrast is an important feature within a diamond because it enables our eyes to see a difference between the different sections of the diamond, and creates the illusion of sparkle when there is insufficient ultra violet light in the room to create real sparkle, in a room which is illuminated using fluorescent lighting for instance.

The Hearts and Arrows Diamonds Formula:

While the proportions of the two signature diamonds which you are considering are quite similar, the reality is that the proportions of a diamond are only part of the formula that creates superior visual performance in a hearts and arrows diamond. The proportions of a diamond primarily dictate the volume of light return and the balance of brilliance and dispersion. In order to produce a crisp and complete pattern of hearts and arrows, like the one which appears within the 1.706 carat, G-color, VS-1 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature diamond which is pictured to the left, the facet structure of the diamond must extremely consistent.

Creating the Hearts and Arrows pattern:

The diagram to the left shows how the pavilion main facet located in the 12 o’clock position (highlighted in green) reflects across the diamond to create two halves of the heart reflections which appear on the opposite side of the diamond. The shorter lower girdle facets which are highlighted in orange, dictate the length and width of the pavilion main facets which is the source of the arrows pattern that is visible through the table facet. If the lower girdle halves are not cut to exactly the same length and angle, then the pavilion mains will vary in size and shape, which will result in crooked hearts and malformed arrows.

I realize that the vendor which you’re referring to states that their signature diamonds are hearts and arrows, but take a look at the images which they provide of the lower half of the diamond and tell me, do those “hearts” look like the hearts pictured above, or do they look irregular and misshapen? Obviously this is a rhetorical question, I’ve looked at the picture and they don’t look like anything that resembles hearts to me… but that’s not really surprising, because it takes incredible skill to cut hearts and arrows diamonds, and it takes about four times longer to polish the diamonds to this level of optical symmetry.

It goes without saying that anybody can say that their diamonds are “Hearts and Arrows” but as Brian Gavin likes to say “it’s all in the hearts” either the diamond exhibits a crisp and complete pattern of hearts and arrows or it does not, and from what I can see from the pictures provided by the other vendor, their signature diamonds do not exhibit crisp and complete patterns of hearts and arrows.